You’ve heard the phrase – win the morning, win the day. It’s true that how we start our days can set us on a trajectory. It’s the first dot in charting the course of our day.

I’ve come to realize though that my best chance at “winning” the morning sounds more like the hymn, In the Morning When I Rise, Give Me Jesus.

Starting my mornings with more surrender and letting God win the day for me has been a strategy for me that beats all other odds. Many of you know this too.

I think about the start of my day specifically with regard to parenting, mothering. Mothering is hard work, (I hear the collective, amen.) When you carry the burden and feel the pressure of wanting to do it well, do it better, do it “perfectly” – the burden can consume and feel overwhelming.

When our fierce love and protection are motivated by fear and managed by self-striving, it shows up angry, critical, controlling. Am I right? We’ve all been there as moms (you are not alone), and it surely does NOT feel like A WIN.

The days I don’t SURRENDER my fears to Jesus and TRUST God for the “wins,” are the days I LOSE TO FEAR.

And the saddest part? My kids don’t see the truest part of me as their fierce protector and loving mama, but the fearful shadow part of me that can show up angry. (Thank God that His mercies are new every day!!)

Being a mama bear and not a grizzly requires surrendered fear. A healthy protector needs to keep fear in check.

Want to know what you are afraid of? Look at what you try most to control. Look to what triggers you into big emotions. There you will find your fears.

I encourage you in whatever roles you have in life, to start a morning practice of surrendering those fears. Think of it as, “if only just for today, I’m letting go and trusting God with (fill in the blank).”

There are verses and stories all throughout Scripture that attest to God’s trustworthiness, goodness, and faithfulness. Take one of these to use as a reminder and reinforcement throughout your day when you find yourself in a battle with fear.

Create a new inner dialogue: “God, you are in control – I don’t have to be. You are trustworthy. I invite into, one day at a time. Today I can trust you.”

Thank you, God, that…

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new EVERY MORNING; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).